PhoenixSong.net :: A Harry/Ginny Fanfic and Fanart Archive

Author: pottervader

Story: Harry Potter and the Prophesized Six

Part: 21: Recovery and an awful end

Rating: Teens

Setting: AU

Status: WIP

Reviews: 17

Words: 6,567

Updated: December 13, 2007, 8:38pm

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21: Recovery and an awful end

Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter, only a few original characters and the plot of this story, which was made with no intention for any sort of financial gain.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Just a clarification, the Lisa who was KISSED was Lisa McDougal, one of Ginny and Rose’s roommates who was first seen in Ginny’s birthday party in chapter 19 of my previous story, Harry Potter and the Twists of Fate. Neville’s girlfriend is Lisa Turpin, a Ravenclaw in the same year as Nev, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now, on with the story. There’s a bit of Quidditch in this one as well as a surprise near the end. Enjoy.

That night, before dinner, Dumbledore read the list of student casualties from the attack on Hogsmeade to the assembled students in the Great Hall. Sounds of soft crying were heard around the chamber as the Headmaster read the names one by one. Most of the students were pale-faced and red-eyed, including the New Marauders.

Dumbledore called for a moment of silence for the Kissed and injured students then again called on the rest to remember their fallen classmates and continue to fight against the Dark. Very few, including the first- and second-years, ate much that evening. Even Ron’s appetite was severely curbed. No one protested when Dumbledore announced a suspension of all Hogsmeade visits until the end of the school year.

James came up to Harry and his friends as they walked out of the Great Hall. In spite of Harry’s protests, James told them that he was suspending the New Marauders’ training sessions set for the next day to give them some time to recover from the emotional trauma of the attack and the loss of their friends and school mates. Even Rose’s session with Martha was postponed till the following Sunday.

Harry told James about his and Ginny’s Patroni changing form. James wasn’t sure why it happened but promised to inform Dumbledore.

When the New Marauders got to the Gryffindor common room, Ti approached his remaining roommates, Paul Longshore and Jake Stone. After the incident on the Hogwarts Express last September, he had ignored all his roommates and never spent any time with them, going so far as to sit beside the girls in his year during classes. The four boys had also ignored Ti though they never tried to fight him again. Now, struck with the loss of Albert and Bradley, the remaining third-year Gryffindors had a tearful reconciliation.

Harry and Ginny fell asleep cuddled together in one of the couches in front of the common room’s fireplace. Ron was forced by Hermione to leave them alone and grudgingly went to bed in his dorm.

Rose spent the evening with Melinda Pipper, her remaining roommate (aside from Ginny), and Colin Creevey, going over their memories of Lisa before going to bed themselves.

The next day, being a Sunday, most of the students slept most of the morning away. However, for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, it wasn’t to be. They were awoken by Angelina at seven in the morning, forced to eat a quick breakfast and then hustled to the pitch for a practice session since their match with Ravenclaw was in a week.

Unfortunately for the team, Katie had been ordered by Madam Pomfrey to refrain from any strenuous physical activity for the next two weeks due to the hex damage she had got in the Hogsmeade attack. Luckily, the Gryffindors had three reserve Chasers. Though all three reservists took turns practicing with Angelina and Alicia, Angelina asked Ginny to let either Rose or Ti be the one to play in the next game and Ginny wholehearted agreed.

Harry and Ginny welcomed the practice to help them get over the previous day’s events. For a time, Angelina sent Melinda Pipper, who was the reserve Keeper, up to substitute for Ron, hoping it would also allow the younger girl a chance to vent her feelings of sorrow over Lisa McDougal’s fate. Ginny and Rose’s roommate proved almost Ron’s equal in tending the goal, using speed and superb broom handling to make up for her lack of Ron’s lanky tallness.

Rose and Ti had a friendly competition that involved getting the most goals. They were tied at the end of practice and Angelina decided to let them take turns playing in the game.

The next day was Valentine’s Day, though few people felt like celebrating due to the attack on Hogsmeade. Classes were cancelled for the day to continue to give the students a chance to get over the horrific event. A great feast was also scheduled for the evening.

Before breakfast, Harry met Ginny in the common room holding a bouquet of flowers and the wrapped box containing the charm he had bought for her on the morning of the Hogsmeade attack.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” she said as she kissed him. Then she also gave him a wrapped gift. Harry opened it to find a small bottle of cologne of a Muggle brand he liked and whose scent on him Ginny loved.

“Thanks, Gin. I was running out.”

“I know,” she said, grinning at him. “That’s why I bought it.”

“How did you know that?” he asked her. “You’ve been peeking in on me again while I’m dressing up, haven’t you? I thought we agreed not to do that with each other.”

Ginny blushed. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it sometimes. I just like the way your body looks, especially this.” She ran her hand over his chest, feeling the developing muscles underneath, causing Harry to groan.

Harry pulled her into a tight embrace, pinning her arms between them. “Please don’t do that or I might have to take a cold shower. You haven’t been looking at me while I’m in the shower, have you?”

Ginny shook her head as she smiled up at him. “No, love, tempting as it is, I think I’ll save that for when we’re married.”

“Minx,” Harry said as he brought his lips down to hers in a searing kiss. “You make me want to marry you right now.”

“Oi! What have I told you about doing that in front of me?” a familiar voice asked from behind them.

Ginny groaned, leaning her head against Harry’s chest. “You weren’t here a moment ago, Ron.”

“Well, I am now,” Ron said, glaring at them. “Where’s Hermione?”

“I think she’s still in her room, Ron,” Ginny said.

“Well, I hope she gets down here soon,” Ron said. “I’m hungry already. I want to give this to her before going down to breakfast.” He showed them a wrapped package.

Ginny rolled her eyes, then smirked when she spotted Hermione at the foot of the stairs to the dorms. Ron, who had his back turned to the stairs, hadn’t seen her yet. From the look on Hermione’s face, she had heard Ron.

“Well, here I am, Ron,” Hermione said, her hands on her hips. “What do you want?”

Ron whirled around so fast Harry and Ginny thought he’d get whiplash. “Err, um, yeah, so you are. Uh, here, Hermione. Happy Valentine’s Day.” He meekly handed the gift to her.

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she accepted the gift from Ron. She unwrapped the package and opened the box, revealing the bracelet and bookcase-shaped charm. She smiled at Ron. “Thank you, Ron. It’s lovely. I hope Harry didn’t help you pick this one out.”

Ron stared at her with wide eyes. “H-how did you…who told you?”

Hermione sighed. “You really are hopeless, Ron. Here, help me put it on then we can go fill up that bottomless pit you call a stomach.”

Harry and Ginny barely managed to stifle the laughter that threatened to break from their mouths. Together, the four of them left for the Great Hall. They were pleasantly surprised to find the huge room decorated in red hearts and roses of different colors scattered about the room. They sat down at the Gryffindor table where Ti and Rose were already seated.

Harry caught sight of the hair band from the Little Menagerie set in his sister’s hair. He grinned as he saw that he had been right thinking it would look great on her. He felt a wave of affection from Ginny. Puzzled, he turned to her just in time to catch a kiss on the lips.

“What was that for?” he asked.

Ginny grinned. “Just for being you.”

Harry shrugged and started to eat, just happy she was pleased with him.

At the end of the meal, Dumbledore gave a speech about the resilience and beauty of love. He advised the students to enjoy the day in which love was revered above all things but reminded them that love is not just for that day but for every day. In that way, they could continue the memories of their lost friends.

Valentine’s Day passed with the students trying to do as the Headmaster asked, allowing them to move forward and heal from the pain of their losses. Most of the students wandered around the grounds in groups, just enjoying being with their friends. The New Marauders spent the day together, even doing a little flying around the Quidditch Pitch. All in all, at the end of the day, most of the students were feeling better than they had the previous day.

The Gryffindor team managed to have another practice session Tuesday night. Angelina was pleased by the way Rose and Ti picked up the maneuvers they were practicing for the upcoming game.

On Wednesday night, there was another meeting of the Dueling Club. At the start, Harry asked for a minute of silence to remember their fallen friends. He then explained and demonstrated the Patronus charm to the club’s members. He then asked them to separate into their usual groupings to practice it.

In order to avoid any contact with Cho, Harry asked Fred to take over supervising the sixth-years while he joined Ginny supervising the fifth-years. All through the evening, he steadfastly ignored the glares Cho was sending him.

At the end of two hours, most of the sixth- and seventh-years were able to produce a creditable form. The lower years were struggling with it but Harry thought they’d need just another session to get the spell.

He was right. At the end of the Friday meeting of the club, every member managed to produce a visible form for the Patronus.

Harry and Ginny met with James and Dumbledore after the club meeting to discuss the change in their forms of their Patroni. After hearing them, Dumbledore speculated that it had to do with their deep love for each other, considering that the production of a Patronus had to do with strong and happy emotions. This, coupled with their Bond, could explain why their Patroni had changed to their nonmagical animagus forms. However, the Headmaster could not explain why their Patroni had managed to destroy the Dementors they had attacked instead of just driving them away. He asked for more time to research the matter. Harry and Ginny agreed on that, just thankful that there was now a way to destroy the foul creatures that plagued them with unhappy memories.

***********************

On Saturday, the Gryffindor Quidditch team sat down to breakfast feeling excited and apprehensive over their match with Ravenclaw. All too soon, Angelina hustled them to their dressing room where she again gave them a long speech.

The Gryffindors came into the pitch half an hour later in a daze but quickly snapped awake as they heard the cheers of their supporters. Angelina flew up to Madam Hooch and the Ravenclaw captain, Roger Davies, who she shook hands with. Madam Hooch tossed the Quaffle into the air and the game began. With a burst of speed, Angelina caught hold of the Quaffle and sped down the pitch toward the Ravenclaw side followed closely by Alicia and Rose.

From his position high above the ground, Harry watched as Angelina passed the Quaffle to Alicia who then passed it to Rose. Harry’s sister passed it back to Angelina who flew around one of the Ravenclaw Chasers then passed the Quaffle back to Rose. Rose managed to avoid the Ravenclaw Keeper and neatly threw the Quaffle through the leftmost hoop, scoring the first goal of the game.

Harry cheered his sister’s accomplishment. Confident that his teammates could keep on scoring, Harry started to look for the Snitch so he’d be ready to catch it when he needed to.

Out of a corner of his eye, he caught sight of Cho. She was following him around, a coy smile on her face. A spike of anger that was not his told Harry that Ginny had seen her as well. It was a good thing Quidditch players left their wands in their dorms whenever playing. Harry resolved to ignore the Asian girl and continued to look for the snitch.

An hour later, Gryffindor was up 120 to 40 while Harry had not yet seen the Snitch. He continued to scan the skies around the Pitch. A groan from the crowd caught his attention in time to see Angelina crash against the Hufflepuff stands. When she didn’t get up, Madam Hooch blew her whistle to signal a timeout and the Gryffindor team flew down to land beside their fallen captain.

“What happened?” Harry asked as he joined the rest of the team around Angelina. Fred had knelt down and placed Angelina’s head in his lap.

“A Bludger hit her on the head,” Ginny whispered. “She managed to duck one but couldn’t turn in time to avoid the second.”

“Is she all right?” Rose asked.

“I’m not sure,” Fred replied, clearly worried as he stroked her hair. “Angie? Come on, love, wake up.”

“You’d better let me see her, Mr. Weasley,” Madam Pomfrey said as she knelt down beside them. She ran her wand over Angelina for more than a minute. “Well,” she finally said, “there doesn’t appear to be any brain swelling or bleeding. She may just have a concussion. We’ll have to get her to hospital wing though.”

Madam Pomfrey conjured a stretcher and levitated Angelina on to it. Ginny and Katie volunteered to go with the nurse and her patient.

After the four of them had returned to the castle, Madam Hooch came up to the Gryffindor team. “Who’s going to take over as captain now that Miss Johnson is incapacitated?” she asked. “You’ll also need another Chaser.”

Alicia shakily raised her hand. “I’ll be captain while Angie’s down, Madam Hooch. As for another Chaser, I guess Ti Black will be going up with me and Rose.”

“Very well,” Madam Hooch said. “The game will resume in three minutes.”

Alicia turned to Ti. “Ready, Black?”

Ti grinned as he answered her. “Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a casual salute then mounted his broom. Grinning to each other, Alicia and Rose followed him up into the air. The rest of the team returned to their places. Harry rose up far above the ground to resume his search for the Snitch.

Thirty minutes later, the three Gryffindor Chasers were performing brilliantly and the score was now 190 to 60. Harry had seen the Snitch once but lost it when it flew up toward the sun. Cho was still following him around though she had stopped smiling at him.

Harry stole a glance at the action and almost froze. Rose was flying toward the Ravenclaw hoops, the Quaffle in her hands. However, two Bludgers were coming at her from different angles and it didn’t look like she’d be able to avoid both of them. Suddenly, Ti came up behind her and pulled on her broomstick, slowing her down. That allowed both Bludgers to miss her but she dropped the Quaffle which was immediately picked up by one of the Ravenclaw Chasers.

The Ravenclaws sped up to the Gryffindor hoops and managed to fake Ron out, scoring for their side. Alicia grabbed the Quaffle and flew toward the Ravenclaw side. Unfortunately, one of the Ravenclaw Beaters knocked a Bludger at her arm, making her drop the Quaffle. Ti and Rose were too far away to prevent another Ravenclaw interception. Another Ravenclaw score was just prevented when a Bludger sent by George knocked the Quaffle away from the hoop.

Just then, Harry spotted a glint of gold near the Slytherin stands. Unfortunately, Cho was closer to it though she hadn’t spotted it yet. Harry tried to casually fly in that direction. Then, Cho finally spotted the Snitch and sped after it. Harry zoomed after her, flattening his body on his broom to get as much speed out of it.

The two Seekers chased the Snitch as it wove between the stands. Cho was ahead of Harry, closing in on the Snitch as it zipped four feet from the ground. Just as Cho was stretching her arm to reach the Snitch, Harry flew under and in front of her, neatly grabbing the Snitch from her fingers.

The Gryffindor students erupted in cheers as Lee Jordan announced their team’s victory. Harry flew lazily down to the ground, his hand still firmly grasping the Snitch. He saw Cho glare at him and he just grinned back at her.

“Fantastic catch, Harry,” Ginny’s voice came up in his mind. “You really showed that cow. Maybe she’ll leave you alone now.”

“Thanks, Gin,” Harry said. “I do hope she does. How’s Angelina? Have you told them about our win?”

“She’s awake now and furious for missing the rest of the game,” Ginny said. “Prat, you know I can’t tell them that. They’ll wonder how I’d know seeing I’m here in the hospital wing. Of course, it was hard not to react as I watched parts of the game through you. We’ll wait for you and the rest of the team to come up and visit.”

Harry joined the rest of the team as they hugged and congratulated each other on the win. Now, they only had to play Hufflepuff. If they beat that team, they’d be sure of playing the final game for the House Cup.

“Hey, guys,” Harry said. “I think we should head for the hospital wing and give our captain and two other teammates the good news.”

They all agreed and set off for the castle, still in their Quidditch robes. Harry noticed that Rose seemed to be sullen and quiet but ignored her for the moment in his eagerness to get to Ginny.

As they exited the Pitch, they ran into James and Lily who each embraced Rose. The others left the two Potter siblings with their parents. Ti stayed behind, unnoticed by them.

“We’re so proud of you, princess,” James said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “That was a great game you played. I can see you’ve inherited my Chaser abilities.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Rose said. “I’m glad to continue a Potter tradition.”

“I did worry when I saw those two Bludgers head for you,” Lily said. “It’s a good thing that Ti was there.”

“Oh, yeah, a good thing,” Rose said in a sarcastic tone.

Missing or ignoring her tone, the elder Potters turned to Harry.

“That was another fantastic catch, son,” James said, slapping him on the back.

Harry grinned, “Thanks, Dad.” He allowed his mother to embrace him as well.

“You should have seen the look on Miss Chang’s face when you grabbed the Snitch from underneath her,” James said, “It was priceless.”

“James,” Lily admonished him. “That was a bit dangerous, Harry, flying so low.”

“Well, Mum,” Harry said, “I know, but that was the only way I could get to the Snitch. It worked anyway. Mum, Dad, thanks for coming but we have to go. We’re going to visit Angelina and tell her about our win.”

“All right, kids,” James said, giving Harry one last slap on the back. “We’re going home now to Potter Manor.”

“Give our love to Daisy and Andrew,” Harry said.

“We will, sweetheart,” Lily said. They then caught sight of Ti.

“Thanks for saving our princess, Ti,” James said, ignoring the glare Rose was sending him for using an old nickname. “She’s really lucky to have you around.”

Ti blushed as he stammered, “T-thank you, Professor. I really care about her and don’t want her hurt.”

“Well, thank you,” Lily said. The elder Potters then left and the three teens continued on to the Hospital Wing in silence.

When they arrived, Alicia was in the process of describing some of the goals made by Rose and Ti. Angelina was ecstatic over their victory. She congratulated the two younger players on their success.

“Yeah, well,” Rose said, “I would have scored again if Ti hadn’t got in the way.”

“What?!” Ti said, “I saved you from getting plastered by two Bludgers.”

“If you hadn’t been such an overprotective git, you would have seen me avoid both and score another goal,” Rose said, glaring at him.

“Overprotective?” Ti asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“You know what I mean,” Rose said. “This is just like last Christmas after that attack in Diagon Alley. You’re treating me like a porcelain figurine. I’m perfectly willing to get hurt in this game, Ti. I won’t let a couple of Bludgers keep me from scoring. I don’t need you to protect me from them. That’s what Fred and George are there for.”

“But they weren’t there,” Ti said. “I was.”

“Yeah, but that’s not your job,” Rose said. “You’re supposed to be ready to get the Quaffle if I dropped it. I might not have if I had been hit by one or both of those Bludgers but your stupid stunt made me drop it and allowed the Ravenclaws to score.”

“You care more about the game than getting hurt,” Ti said.

“Well, yeah,” Rose said. “If you’re afraid of getting hurt, you shouldn’t be playing Quidditch!” Unfortunately, she shouted the last sentence, drawing the attention of Madam Pomfrey.

“Who is shouting?” the school nurse asked. “This is a hospital, not a debating room. I think that’s enough time for a visit. Out, all of you. Miss Johnson needs to rest. You can see her again in the morning.”

In spite of their protests, the Gryffindor team was made to leave the hospital wing. They trudged in silence back to Gryffindor Tower. No one was willing to remind Rose and Ti of their argument. When they reached the Gryffindor common room, they were not surprised to see food and drinks set up. They gladly joined the party, feeling a need to celebrate.

Rose and Ti avoided each other for the rest of the afternoon and evening, which was easy since many of their housemates insisted on accosting them to talk to them about their goal-making exploits.

Harry tried several times to talk to Rose but she ignored him, causing him a lot of frustration. He finally gave up, preferring to enjoy some private time with Ginny.

“I’m glad you finally decided to leave her alone,” Ginny said to him later as they lay down in a couch in the Room of Requirement. The room they were in was an accurate reproduction of the Gryffindor common room.

“I just wish I knew what the problem is,” Harry said, gloomily. “I thought she was happy with Ti. I didn’t expect her to snap at him like that.”

Ginny sighed. “Not everyone finds the one they fall in love with the first time, Harry. We were lucky with the Soul Bond.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Harry said. “Who’s to say I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you anyway? It might have taken a bit longer, but I think we would have been together in the end.”

“Are you sure of that?” Ginny asked, looking up at him.

“Definitely,” Harry said, looking down into her chocolate brown eyes. “There’s no doubt in my mind that I would have eventually realized you’re the only one for me. This way, we have more time together.” With that, he kissed her and thoughts of his sister’s romance troubles flew out of his mind.

************************

“Come on, child, concentrate,” Martha said to Rose. “I know you can do this.” It was the day after the game with Ravenclaw and Rose was again with Martha Thunderheart. Martha was trying to teach her a new Seer power, the Backward View skill. It was like rewinding time to see what happened in a place at a past time period, usually in the last 24 hours. However, Martha had told her that very powerful seers could see backward for up to a week or more in the past. At the moment, they were trying to see if Rose could see what had happened in Dumbledore’s office over the last hour.

Rose huffed in frustration. “I’m sorry, Martha. I can’t concentrate. I keep thinking about yesterday. I had a terrible fight with Ti and that’s all I can think about.”

Martha sighed. “I understand, Rose. It’s hard to concentrate when one is in emotional turmoil. There are ways to overcome that but that is another lesson. We can try this again next week.”

Rose hugged the older woman. “Thank you, Martha, for understanding. I’ll see you next week.” She left the Headmaster’s office and took the moving staircase down to the corridor. For once, Ti wasn’t waiting for her.

Feeling both relieved and apprehensive about that, Rose decided to take a walk around the castle. The corridors were empty. As she passed by one of the classrooms, she noticed that the door was ajar. She could hear voices from within the room that sounded like Draco and Pansy. Curious, she silently crept up to it.

“So you really won’t tell me what’s going on, Draco?” Pansy was asking.

“No, Pansy” Draco said. “I don’t want you involved in this.”

“Why not?” Pansy asked. “I just want to know why you’re treating that blood-traitor brother of yours so nicely. I’ve also noticed that you haven’t insulted Potter or his bunch of friends even once since we got back from Christmas break. There’s something going on, isn’t there? Come on, you can tell me.”

“What makes you think that?” Draco asked. “What if I just decided to treat them better than I have in the past?”

“Oh, please, Draco,” Pansy said. “I’ve also noticed the momentary look of disgust or the smirk that forms on your face after an encounter with your brother or Potter and his friends. I don’t think you’d do that if there wasn’t a better reason than so-called common decency.”

The room was silent for several seconds then Draco said in a sneering voice, “You really are a true Slytherin, Pans,” Draco said. “However, I still can’t tell you anything. All I can say is that looks can be deceiving and I am still the person you’ve known all these years.”

Rose had to hide a gasp as she realized the implications of what she heard. She needed to warn Ti, in spite of the problems they were having. She tiptoed away from the door and hurried on her way back to Gryffindor Tower.

When she arrived in the Gryffindor common room, she sought out Ti and found him with some other third-years, doing homework. She walked over to him.

Rose noticed one of the girls at the same table scowl on seeing her. The girl, who Rose thought was named Romilda or something like that, had long dark hair, large dark eyes and a prominent chin. Now that she thought about it, this girl had been hanging around Ti a lot since they got back from Christmas break. Before she could ponder on that, Ti’s voice broke her out of her thoughts.

“Do you want something, Rose?” Ti asked, “Like, to apologize to me?” He had an irritated tone in his voice.

Rose clamped down the angry retort that threatened to leap out of her mouth, convinced that what she heard was important. “Can we put aside what happened yesterday for the moment?” Rose asked in a fierce whisper. “There’s something I overheard that I think you should know about.”

He looked at her for a few seconds before nodding. He stood up and beckoned to her. Rose followed him out of the Tower. He led her to one of the empty classrooms on the sixth floor and closed the door behind him.

“So, what is it you overheard that should concern me?” Ti asked her, leaning against the door with his arms folded across his chest.

Rose recounted the conversation she had overheard between Draco and Pansy. “I think you should be careful with Draco, Ti. I don’t think he’s really changed.”

“No,” Ti said. “You must have misunderstood what they were talking about. You only heard part of their conversation.”

“Ti, I don’t think there’s any other way to interpret what Draco said,” Rose said. “I think he’s just been pretending to be nice to you.”

“No,” Ti said, “I won’t hear of it. You’re wrong, Rose. He’s accepted me for who I am.”

“Please, Ti,” Rose said. “Listen to me. I’m only thinking of what’s best for you.”

“Oh, you are, are you?” Ti asked, sneering at her. Rose was frightened to see how much he resembled Draco at that moment. “If you were, you wouldn’t be saying those things to me. Do you know how long I’ve wanted him to treat me halfway decent like he’s been doing lately? He used to beat me up, Rose, any time Mother wasn’t at home. I never told her since Draco threatened to break both my legs if I did. Luckily, Dobby could always heal me up after. Now, it feels so much better that he actually talks to me without insulting me or trying to punch my lights out. I can’t have it going back to the way it was before.”

“I understand that, Ti,” Rose began to say.

“Do you really?” Ti asked, cutting her off. “I doubt that. You’ve never experienced anything like that. Harry would never intentionally hit you and I doubt you’d hit him on purpose. You really don’t know what it’s like to be afraid of your brother.” Ti’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “Why are you doing this, Rose?”

Rose was confused by the sudden change in their conversation. “Doing what, Ti?” she asked.

“Why are you trying to get between me and Draco?” Ti asked.

“I’m not trying to get between you two,” Rose said, starting to feel frustrated. “I’m simply trying to get you to understand that Draco may just be pretending to be a real brother to you.”

“What for?” Ti asked, his voice rising. “I don’t see anything for him to gain in doing that.”

“I don’t know why he’d do that,” Rose said. “Maybe it’s part of some scheme to get closer to Harry. What I do know is that he’s up to something.”

“NO,” Ti shouted. “He’s not! How could you say that? You’re my girlfriend. You should be the last person to think that.”

“It’s because I’m your girlfriend that I’m telling you Draco’s not to be trusted, Ti,” Rose said. She reached for his hand. “I care enough to tell you the truth.”

“If that’s what you think is the truth then maybe you shouldn’t be my girlfriend anymore,” Ti said, pulling his hand away.

“What are you saying, Ti?” Rose asked even though she had already an idea what he meant.

“I think we should break up,” Ti said harshly. “I can’t be with someone who isn’t happy for me and my brother.”

Tears started to roll down Rose’s face. She had thought about breaking up with Ti a couple of times over the past weeks but she didn’t want it to be like this. She still wanted to be friends with him but a break up like this would make that impossible.

“No, Ti, please,” Rose said. “You don’t want that. I don’t want that.”

“Are you sure, Rose?” Ti asked. “I’ve noticed that lately, you’ve been hesitant to kiss me or even hold hands with me. Then there was yesterday. You berated me for trying to protect you. Why? Is there someone else you’d rather protect you? Does the Potter Princess want someone else? Tell me, who is it?”

Rose couldn’t speak, not even to deny it. The face of Neville flashed through her mind, rendering her speechless.

“Why can’t you answer me?” Ti asked harshly. “So there is someone else. How could you, Rose? Are you snogging him behind my back?”

Rose could only shake her head in denial, still unable to speak as Ti continued to glare at her, his hands forming into fists.

Finally, Ti said, “Never mind. We’re through. I don’t want to be anywhere near you right now.” He stormed out of the room.

Rose sat down on the ground with her back against one of the desks as tears began again to stream down her cheeks. This was so much worse than she could have imagined it. She curled up and cried herself to sleep.

When she woke up, she was confused by her surroundings. Slowly, the memory of her break up with Ti came back. She angrily blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over again. Looking at her watch, she was shocked to find that it was six in the evening.

Hurriedly, she left the classroom. She washed her face in one of the girls’ bathrooms on the third floor then hurried to the Great Hall, dreading to see Ti. Luckily, he wasn’t around. Of their friends, only Hermione and Ron were there.

She sat down further down the table from them and started to eat even though she didn’t have much of an appetite.

Demelza Robins, another third-year, was seated on her right side. “Uh, Rose, do you know where Ti is? He didn’t come back after he went off with you earlier. We were supposed to be revising together. Where did the two of you go?”

“Err, we went to the library,” Rose said. “He left after a bit so I don’t know where he is. I just came back from the library.”

“Oh, okay,” Demelza said and she turned back to eating.

Rose saw Hermione give her a curious look but ignored it. She ate quickly and left for her room. She lay down on her bed after drawing the curtains shut. After a few minutes, she felt something pressing on her back. Turning over, she came upon the comb Ti had given her for Valentine’s Day just six days before, bringing up the memory of their messy break up. How could he think that of her? She turned her face into her pillow and started sobbing into it.

After an unknown amount of time, she heard Hermione softly call to her from behind her curtains.

“Rose, is something wrong?” she asked. “You couldn’t possibly have been in the library today. I was there revising for most of the day. Did something happen between you and Ti? Do you want to talk about it?”

Rose slowly got up and pulled the curtains slightly open. “I-I guess I h-have to talk about it w-with someone. Maggie’s too young to understand this. Melinda’s still distraught over Lisa. I’m not sure if I can talk to Ginny like I usually would since I don’t want Harry to find out yet. With that bloody b-bond, he’s sure to find out. So, I guess I’m stuck with you, Miss Know-It-All. I’ve always thought of you as an older sister anyway.”

Hermione grinned at Rose’s attempt at humor in spite of her tear-streaked face. She was also touched by being considered an older sister by the redhead. Harry had also said he considered her a sister.

Hermione sat down on Rose’s bed and drew the curtains closed around them. Slowly, the bushy-haired girl managed to get the story of her break up with Ti out of Rose.

Hermione took one of Rose’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I’m so sorry, Rose. I thought you and Ti made a cute couple. I guess there is a bit of Slytherin in him after all. Still, I understand a bit of what was bothering him.”

“I told him I understood what he was talking about, Hermione,” Rose said. “But he wouldn’t accept that I did.”

“He’s scared, Rose,” Hermione said. “If he accepted that Draco may be tricking him, then he’ll have to accept that he’ll never have the kind of relationship with Draco that you have with Harry or Ginny with her brothers or me and Daniel. It would shatter his dream completely. Nevertheless, I do agree with you that Draco is up to something. Knowing him, it’s nothing good. I guess we’ll just have to keep an eye on him and hope Ti isn’t too badly hurt in the end.”

“I hope so, too,” Rose said, flopping down on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. After a few minutes, she said, “I can’t believe he broke up with me. I thought he cared about me.”

“Maybe he does,” Hermione said, “but not to the extent you thought he did.”

Rose sighed. “I thought we had something like Harry and Ginny have. Sometimes, I feel so envious of them, to have that kind of love at their ages, it seems like some sort of fairy tale.”

Hermione sighed. “I know, sweetie. I feel envious of them myself sometimes. I don’t think Ron and I are at that level yet. Hopefully, some day, we will be. But consider what Harry and Ginny have been through already, having faced V-Voldemort one way or another. None of us know half of what they’ve gone through. I think being together gives them the strength to go on. We can’t begrudge them for it. We don’t know what will happen in the future. We can only hope they’ll survive to live a long life together but in the meantime, we have to let them enjoy what they have.” She patted Rose on the arm and looked at her critically. “Now, why don’t you get some rest? You’ve had an emotional day.”

Hermione stood up and let Rose get under the covers. Hermione tucked her in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Someday, Rose, I’m sure you’ll find the guy who’ll love you just like Harry loves Ginny. Just be patient. Maybe you should see other boys now, outside our little group.”

Rose shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe I will, but not right now. I don’t want Harry to know yet that Ti broke up with me. I want to tell him on my own so I can keep him from killing Ti.”

Hermione sighed. “I see what I can do. Of course, I’m sure Ginny will be able to distract Harry. Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to tell Ginny without Harry finding out.”

“Okay, Hermione,” Rose said. “Thanks.”

Hermione gave her a smile. “Hey, what are older sisters for?”

A/N: Wow! Did anyone see that coming? LOL! Well, there you have it. Ti and Rose have broken up. Will they ever reconcile? How will the New Marauders, especially Harry, react when they find out? That will be revealed in the next chapter. For now, please review.

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